Would the chancellor just damage the incentive to save if he tinkers with pension tax relief at the Autumn Statement? October 12, 2016 Steve Webb, director of policy at Royal London and former pensions minister, says Yes. Some things in life are about more than the short term, and pensions planning is surely one of those things. But how can individuals, employers and the pensions industry plan for the future when the rules are changed on an almost annual [...]
Navigating uncertainty: The future of accountancy October 12, 2016 The discovery that a computer error may have caused the sterling “flash crash” last week probably raised wry smiles in board-rooms around the world. The flurry of panicked headlines caused by Theresa May implying that Britain was heading towards hard Brexit apparently tricked trading algorithms into rapid selling of the currency. A meltdown triggered by [...]
How small businesses can overcome the challenges of financing growth October 12, 2016 If a business has the right product or idea, whatever the uncertainties resulting from the Brexit vote, it’s as good a time to grow as any. But there are some very significant challenges that come with hiring more staff, entering new markets, taking on new customers, or launching a new product or service – not least in [...]
Fund managers join fight for more female FTSE 350 board members October 12, 2016 Jupiter, Old Mutual and Legal & General are among the fund managers to have made commitments to vote against board appointments at companies which do not have enough female executives. And the 30% Club, which is campaigning for FTSE 350 boards to be 30 per cent made up of women by 2020, has called on more investment companies to follow suit. Read [...]
Investors more worried about lower for longer interest rates than Brexit vote October 12, 2016 Rock bottom interest rates appear to have given people more headaches about where to stash their cash than the Brexit vote. Paul Abberley, chief executive at investment manager Charles Stanley, told City A.M. clients seemed generally more concerned about the "near zero interest rate" than they did about the Brexit vote, adding the lower for longer policy [...]
Interactive Investor announces takeover deal to create UK’s second largest online broker October 12, 2016 Interactive Investor has agreed a takeover deal for TD Bank’s European direct investing business to form the UK’s second largest online broker. The transaction, which will create a firm with 300,000 customer relationships and assets under administration of £18bn, is being financed by JC Flowers & Co funds. Read more: Star manager Woodford invests £21m in brokers AJ Bell [...]
City A.M. Unregulated podcast: Got fomo? Juggling a job and running a business October 12, 2016 Running a business is hard enough, without juggling a full-time job as well. This week the team is joined by Patrick McGinnis, the man who invented "fomo" (that's fear of missing out), and Terri Sjodin, author of "Scrappy: A Little Book About Choosing to Play Big". They discuss how be an entrepreneur at the same [...]
Pensions lifetime allowance: Savings over £1m face a tax charge of up to 55 per cent, but if your employer is paying into a scheme for you, take the hit October 12, 2016 More than 90,000 UK savers have stopped putting money into their pension since 2012 for fear of incurring tax charges, it emerged this weekend, following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by former pensions minister Steve Webb, now director of policy at Royal London. The pensions lifetime allowance (LTA) limits the amount any individual can [...]
How to bounce back like a Russian ballet dancer October 12, 2016 St Petersburg, Russia is home to the world famous Kirov Ballet company. Over 270 years since its foundation, the existence of the Kirov has been repeatedly threatened, by – among other things – the Russian Revolution, the Second World War and the collapse of the Soviet Empire. Each time its survival has been called into question, [...]
Britain’s younger generation are urged to plan ahead after new evidence reveals they will otherwise have to survive on a fraction of current retirement incomes October 11, 2016 Britons are facing the prospect of having to survive on a quarter of current average retirement incomes in the future as defined contribution schemes fail to yield returns anywhere near those provided by defined benefit schemes. Read more: The government's creating a new pensions and debt advice service A report by Centre for Economic and Social Research revealed the gloomy [...]
